[Distutils] documentation recommendations for Python 3 installs

[Marius Gedminas]

On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 12:48:10PM -0700, Chris Jerdonek wrote:
> I'd like advice on what instructions to provide to users (if any) to
> avoid what might be a common user error.
> 
> I maintain a project written in Python 2, and I recently added support
> for Python 3 via 2to3 and the installation process.  Recently, a
> Python 3 user got the source code, manually installed it by running
> "setup.py build" and "setup.py install," and then proceeded to test it
> by firing up the IDE and importing the project.  They then got a
> syntax error because they were still in the project directory and so
> wound up importing the original Python 2 code rather than the Python 3
> version in site-packages.

This is probably an argument for the ./src/ intermediate directory in
your source tree layout.

Also, it's an argument for porting to Python 3 by avoiding 2to3 and
instead using the common subset of Python 2.x and 3.y for reasonable
values of x (say, >= 6).

> What is the recommended workflow or instructions to include in a
> project README to prevent new users from running into this kind of
> error?

Marius Gedminas
-- 
Microsoft has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
                -- Judge Jackson
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